The Christmas Gift Edit: Black-Owned, Independent London Businesses To Buy From

By Lydia Manch Last edited 39 months ago
The Christmas Gift Edit: Black-Owned, Independent London Businesses To Buy From

Books, always

Check out our list of Black-owned, independent bookshops and publishers — all now offering delivery.

And on that list, Jacaranda Books' Twentyin2020 project published 20 books by Black British authors this year, across fiction, non-fic and poetry — available to order online individually or in one brilliant batch.

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Tobak perfume — Maya Njie

Hackney perfumier Maya Njie's all about creating beautiful, unisex blends that transport you to another place. Her Tobak - a warm, tropical evening's dream of tobacco leaf and vetiver - is our favourite, but all of them are lovely, made in small batches, bottled by hand and drawing on the idea of scent as an act of memory.

Order here.

Cork cactus planter — Mind The Cork

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Jenny Espirito Santo makes cork homeware of all sorts, mixing minimalist lines with raw textures, and the result's lovely across the range — but we reckon the handcrafted, environmentally-aware cork planters make for the best gift. Throw in a cactus (difficult to kill) and it's a nice, low pressure way to bring some greenery into a London flat this winter.

Order here.

Hot chocolate — Dark Sugars

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This Brick Lane chocolate shop's gone online in time for Christmas, with most of their greatest hits now offered for delivery. Hard to go wrong with the classic hot chocolate (£20) or the hot chocolate kit (£55), but there's also their range of chilli truffles, Alfonso mango in dark chocolate, vegan options and coconut-rum white chocolates.  

Order here.

West African feast box — Chishuru

Adejoké Bakare's Brixton restaurant's been getting starry eyed write-ups from big critics, but if you can't make it there in person, you can still try out (or gift) her West African menu via the Feast Box for two people, now available for delivery via Dishpatch. Order for a specific date in advance, or buy a voucher and redeem it in the heart of winter, when the warmth of her menu's going to be more welcome than ever.

Order here.

Cabby's Gin — Taxi Spirit Co

A gin from Moses Odong, founder of London's first ever rum distillery, this one was apparently an accident — a byproduct of his experiments with making a juniper-spiced rum. Laced with all-spice and cardamom, let all accidents be this happy.

Odong's business also distills a white rum and a spiced rum (£35), both of them (we think?) the first to be distilled in London.

Price: £29 for the 50cl bottle. Order here.

Last Updated 10 December 2020